LAHORE - An anti-terrorism court yesterday remanded a woman, her son and son-in-law into judicial custody on charges of burning alive her daughter Zeenat Rafique for honor killing.
Factory area police told the judge that they had completed the investigation and therefore, no more physical remand of the accused was required. At this, the court sent all three accused to jail on 14-day judicial remand. The judge directed police to produce them again on July 15 and submit challan.
Police took Parveen, mother, Mushtaq, brother-in-law and Anees, real brother, on the complaint of Hassan Khan, husband of deceased girl Zeenat Rafique.
Hassan Khan, a mechanic by profession, told police that he contracted love marriage with the victim on May 29 through a local court. Three days back, victim’s cousin Mushtaq Ahmad visited his house and asked her to go back home so that marriage ceremony could be held in a proper way, he said.
On the day of the incident, he said, he got information that his in-laws were subjecting his wife to torture. He rushed there along with his father and witnessed that his brother-in-law Mushtaq and mother-in-law were setting her ablaze. As a result, she received multiple burns and died on the spot.
Police after being informed reached the scene and collected evidences.
Police registered a case against three suspects including the victim’s mother, brother Anees and brother-in-law Mushtaq, under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 336/8 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Later, autopsy report of the deceased revealed that the girl was tortured and was tied to a bed. The report further stated that Zeenat had rope marks around her neck.